Interactive Multimodal Representations of (Non) Arab Leaders through Cartoon Images

This study examines the representation of (non) Arab leaders in ten selected political cartoon images through the lens of Kress and van Leeuwen’s model of visual interactive levels and Martinec and Salway’s framework of image-text relations. The study aims to indicate the power of such images as cultural artifacts reflect societal norms, ideologies, and political contexts, and to demonstrate the relevance of visual and textual frameworks work together in analyzing multimodal texts. The key questions of the study are: How do political cartoon images use visual and textual elements to represent (non) Arab leaders? and what culture differences can be identified in the portrayal of cartoon images about the authority and leadership in Arab and non-Arab leaders? The study reveals that all images exhibit unequal status, with text subordinate to the image, indicating the visual dominance in meaning-making. The study concludes that Arab leaders-oriented cartoon images prioritize authority and tradition, reflecting collectivist and hierarchical culture values, while the non-Arab leaders-oriented cartoon images employ critique and satire, highlighting individualism and democratic ideals. Through this multimodal analysis, the study underscores how visual and textual elements interact to reflect and construct cultural distinctions, offering valuable insights into the semiotics of political cartoon images as a form of cultural communication.